Vestalink Sign-Up

[lrhyne]

I have my home cordless phone plugged into an Obi100 and have GV on SP1 and Anveo E911 on SP2.  I've decided to go with Vestalink and forward my GV #.  After searching this site and others to find the simplest way to do this I still have a few questions.  It appears that I should first go to the Obitalk website and delete GV and Anveo E911 from SP1 and SP2.  Next I need to do a factory reset on my Obi100 by dialing ***81.  Then it's off to the Vestalink.com site to sign up for a free trial.  I plan on using the "Easy Setup" and believe during this or after I will be asked if I want to spoof my caller ID and this is where I will enter my GV #.  Finally, I will need to go to my Google Voice site and add my new Vestalink number.
Questions:
  1) Does above sound about right and in the right order?
  2) To delete GV & Anveo from SP1 and SP2 do I go to "Add Device" on the Obitalk site & just take the Configuration Name out  and uncheck all the boxes - I don't see a delete button anywhere?
  3) Would it benefit me more to use the Obitalk setup?  It appeared that using Vestlink's Easy Setup would be easier?
  4) I would rather just forward my GV # instead of porting, so I hope I'm one of the lucky ones that does not experience call quality issues.  Does anyone know why some experience quality issues and others do not?  Is it based on where you live, internet speed, etc...
  5) Should I be concerned that the Obihai site does not list Vestalink on their list of 16 service providers?

Sorry about all the questions, and as some of you are thinking, I probably should not be using VOIP being the novice that I am.  I agree, but as I near retirement, I'm trying to save all the $ I can  .

Thanks for any help or corrections!
   

[logicliker]

All great questions, and a newbie myself, I look forward to reading the responses from the smart veteran posters here.

[siskiou]

They do list Vestalink as one of the other "generic" providers, and setup is very easy, without using the Vestalink automatic setup.

And there should be a "trashcan" symbol next to the providers you want to delete.

From the obi dashboard, click on the "settings" symbol, and on the next page, under "Configure Voice Service Providers", you should see the trashcan next to the settings symbol.

[lrhyne]

Thanks siskiou!  That takes care of question #2

[BigJim_McD]

lrhyne,  a few Answers:

1a)  Yes.

2a)  Goto the OBi Dashboard, Click on you OBi100 Device.
2b)  Under "Configure Service Providers (SP), 
2c)  Click on the "Trash Can" and delete SP2,
2d)  Click on the "Trash Can" and delete SP1,
2e)  Click on:  "Delete Device", then confirm deletion.

3)  You must choice between using Vestalink's Easy Setup -OR- OBiTalk, you can't use both.  Myself, I prefer OBiTalk to use as a place to monitor the state of my device.

4)  I haven't had any issues so far myself.  We can always PORT our Google Voice phone numbers later if we have issues.  Leaving our phone numbers on Google Voice for now leaves us with the option to use another service provider if we have issues with Vestalink.

5)  I manage my OBi202, OBi110 and OBi100 on OBiTalk and havn't had any issues.  If you provision Vestalink via OBiTalk, use "Generic Serice Provider" to configure the service.

Don't forget to cancel your Anveo service.

[Taoman]

It's not going to ask you if you want to spoof your outbound number. You need to go into Vestalink's web portal and set this up yourself.
Numbers>Spoof Caller ID

1>If you are already committed to Vestalink then yes
2>Click on "gear" icon. On subsequent page you will see "garbage can" icon to delete current SP
3>Vestalink's Easy Setup configuration is easier but your Obi is then locked and provisioned by Vestalink. It is quite easy to set it up manually in Obitalk. Just get SIP credentials from Devices>Softphone/BYOD in web portal
Also: http://support.vestalink.com/   Advanced Obi configuration shows step by step procedure
4>According to Vestalink support the reason is:

This delay is due to calls being forwarded through Google Voice. The only way to resolve this issue is to transfer your Google Voice number. Changing your phone number will not fix the issue as Google Voice still has to essentially echo the conversation between it's carrier and the one we have numbers with."

5>No. Vestalink is relatively new to the game.

PS. If it was me, I would delete Anveo on SP2 (be sure and cancel service) and then configure Vestalink on SP2 manually, check the box to make it your primary line for outgoing calls and thoroughly test out Vestalink to see if it meets your needs before wiping out your GV config on SP1. Don't forget to add Vestalink number as forwarding number in Google Voice and uncheck box in front of Google Chat.

[lrhyne]

Thanks BigJim and Taoman.  I guess I will begin by trying to do the manual setup via Obitalk, just know that if I run into issues, you will have to put up with more rambling questions from me...
As far as # 4 goes, I had seen Vestalink's reason, but I was just curious as to why some who have not ported their GV # have issues and some do not.  If it had been isolated to a particular part of the country or internet speed, etc... then I might be able to tell if I would be affected or not. 
Thanks again!

[Taoman]

As far as # 4 goes, I had seen Vestalink's reason, but I was just curious as to why some who have not ported their GV # have issues and some do not.  If it had been isolated to a particular part of the country or internet speed, etc... then I might be able to tell if I would be affected or not. 

It is contingent upon the CLEC for your GV number and the CLEC for the number Vestalink assigns you and the route taken between the two. You can't possibly know ahead of time what you will experience. You can only try it and see what happens.

Note: The reason I suggested leaving GV on SP1 is so you could easily contrast and compare the two as far as voice quality and latency. Outgoing will probably be OK with Vestalink. It is on incoming calls where you might see problems. To switch back and forth between GV and Vestalink would just be a matter of checking and unchecking the boxes in Google Voice.

[lrhyne]

Ah, makes sense.  Oh well, it will just be a roll of the dice.

One more question (last one for today, I promise).  If I do my setup through the Obitalk site, it looks like I would just delete the Anveo on SP2 and set up Vestalink on that SP as you suggested leaving GV on SP1.  I'm assuming that I would not need to then do a factory reset as I had originally thought - Is that correct?

[Taoman]

Correct. If you are just going to be deleting SP2 and manually configuring Vestalink you shouldn't need to do a factory reset. However, once you are done testing and have made your final decision and are ready to delete GV from your Obi I would suggest resetting your Obi to factory defaults, deleting and re-adding your Obi from the Obitalk portal and then manually adding the service provider of your choice.